
Courtesy of Crowe Boys.
Wes (left) and Ocie (right) Crowe of Crowe Boys.
Brothers Ocie and Wes Crowe grew up in rural bayou country, traveling through small Southern towns with their family's gospel band. Today, based out of New Orleans, the duo have been marked as rising stars in the alternative/folk circuits—stemming in large part from the relationships they've cultivated with online fans since going viral on TikTok in early 2024 with their song, “Where Did I Go Wrong?” A year later, we sat down with the brothers to discuss their roots, their inspiration, and new music on its way this month.
So, you guys grew up performing gospel around Louisiana with your family—can you describe what that was like? What are some of your favorite memories?
Ocie: It was definitely a different way to grow up. We had a lot of opportunities to meet new people and see new places. Traveling as a child came with lots of cons. It was hard in that there weren’t many opportunities for long term friendships and community, but we were able to find that within ourselves as brothers. One of my favorite memories was when we built our own skate ramp at a church. We had our RV docked up at this church for a week doing a revival, but during the day there wasn’t much to do. We used a bunch of random things we found lying around outside and constructed a very … not safe ramp that we used to jump with our skateboards.
Wes: I personally loved growing up on the road and performing music. That was also just my normal. It definitely had its ups and downs. I loved getting to jam with my brothers all the time, and as a kid I loved exploring the new places with them. Sometimes the RV was way too cramped, but when that was the case, I’d go explore by myself or find somewhere peaceful to read a book. I think finding those places to skate are some of my favorite experiences. And building that death trap ramp Ocie was talking about was definitely a highlight too.
How did you learn to perform music? From your parents? Was there any formal training or was it more organic?
Ocie: There really isn’t one answer to this question for me. I’d say it started with our mom, Amie. Her side of the family has deep roots in music. It was my passion from early on. I would listen to anyone who would stop to show me something in music. I’d watch videos and read books. Eventually I did a little classical training in voice and piano, but found that I excelled more in a less “academic” setting and in a more “jam” setting.
Wes: I learned a little from my parents and brothers but mostly I was self-taught. I’d sit for hours watching videos and try to replicate whatever the musician on the screen was doing.
How has Louisiana as a place influenced you as musicians?
Ocie: We traveled the whole southern region as kids, so we had a lot of opportunities to see different things. New Orleans, on the other hand, became a huge part of my personal writing and artistic center as a musician and singer. The culture of art that surrounds this place is different from anything I’ve experienced anywhere else. It’s almost tangible. It’s impossible to visit this place surrounded by the artists who live here and not feel inspired—much less actually live here and fully embrace the community. It’s become an integral part of my mindset towards the arts as a whole.
Wes: New Orleans has definitely played an influential role in my artistic mind. From skating at the park, listening to punk music, to working at a small coffee shop hearing the ambiance of indie folk. New Orleans has brought a very diverse sense of artistic energy.
What were some of your earliest musical influences?
Ocie: As much as we traveled singing gospel, we didn’t actually spend much time listening or living in that world as artists. However, there were a few moments where I did dig a little deeper into gospel music. I really enjoyed work from artists like Jason Crabb and David Phelps. Personally, I was more focused on the genres like alternative rock and pop. I loved bands like Switchfoot and NeedToBreathe. Under the surface though, I really loved listening to female-driven pop like early Katy Perry and Miley Cyrus. And I still love to religiously listen to artists in that genre, like Dua Lipa and Sabrina Carpenter.
Wes: I think what influenced me the most growing up is when I found one of my parents old Journey CDs. That’s pretty much what I listened to for quite a while, until I eventually started listening to punk, alternative rock, indie folk, etc.
Tell me about when you started to play outside the context of gospel, when you started experimenting with other genres and styles. What sparked that?
Ocie: I really didn’t get outside of it until I moved to New Orleans. It was the first time I’d ever seen artists, in a more personal context, write and sing outside of the genre I was used to. I quickly fell in love.
Wes: Mostly, when I moved to New Orleans and started trying new things, music kind of shifted with that.
Today, who are some of your biggest musical influences?
Ocie: Today some of my biggest musical influences are artists like Noah Kahan, Coldplay, Gregory Alan Isakov—and a more recent artist I’ve been listening to a lot is Gracie Abrams.
Wes: Gregory Alan Isakov, Caamp, Chance Peña
Can you describe your songwriting process? What influences do you draw from, how do you operate together when creating new music?
Ocie: For me it’s almost always pulled from personal, true events; or is based off something I’ve actually experienced. It is about trying to understand something inside of myself that I don’t know how to process. Music is my therapy, and instruments like my therapist. I’d start to play, and how I felt would form into words.
Wes: It’s all about experiences for me. Experiences bring inspiration, and inspiration brings art. A song is like a blank canvas for me personally. I don’t know where to start painting, but when I do the end goal becomes clearer with each brush stroke. Sometimes that means making a terrible song that ends up in the trash; sometimes that means making a beautiful painting.

Courtesy of Crowe Boys
Crowe Boys in performance
What is it like sharing an artform with your brother?
Ocie: To me it’s one of the coolest experiences. I love being able to share this with Wes.
Wes: It’s awesome! I love getting to do this with Ocie. I wouldn’t change a thing.
About a year ago, you went viral—skyrocketing your platform and career. What do you think it was about that video/song that captured the hearts of so many people? You’ve continued to cultivate an intimate relationship with your fans through social media—can you share a little about that dynamic of the musician/fan relationship?
Ocie: I think it was the honesty. Early on, we spent a lot of time trying to be something we weren’t in our music. We got really burned out as artists and brothers, even. We spent some time shifting our focus; and that song “Where Did I Go Wrong?” was one of the results. Now, we really try to remain honest and continue writing from that place. Honesty has been a super important part of our relationship with our fans. This past year has been a lot of fun, but the best part has been building this family (I think our fans are more like family at this point). We consider ourselves really fortunate to have the fan base that we have, because I think as artists, it’s our job to push the boundaries of life and then share it with the people who follow us. It’s a huge and rather scary job, but one we find very honorable—that we would be entrusted by people in such a deep and meaningful way.
Wes: I think people connect with the heartfelt honesty behind the lyrics in that song. I feel like in today’s world there is a lot of confusion, mistrust, self-doubt, and other things that I believe we all go through. “Where Did I Go Wrong?” is just a testament to those real-life things that I believe we can all connect with.
What are the biggest ways your lives as musicians have changed over the last year?
Ocie: I cry a lot. The emotional toll from this past year has pushed me in ways I didn’t know were possible. In a good way, too.
Wes: I’ve learned so much this year about myself, people, the industry, etc. My perspective have changed in a lot of ways and I’m a better man for it. I’ve met so many amazing people and made connections that won’t fade.
I hear you have new music coming out in February. Can you give readers an idea of what to expect?
Ocie: Honestly, I don’t think we even know what to expect. As funny as it sounds, this is kinda like our official debut, and we’ve never done this before. But the song we’re releasing is way past due, and we’re so excited to share it!
Wes: What Ocie said!
Learn more about Crowe Boys at croweboys.com and find their music on Spotify.